Thorns and Fire
by ARAJediMaster
Summary: The Rats of NIMH have eluded capture again, Mrs. Brisby's home is safe and Timothy is recovering, and everything is normal again. Or is it? Shortly before giving Justin the Stone, Mrs. Brisby has received a vision through the Force that changes her life forever. It runs not only through her now, but her children and the Rats too. And they are now in mortal danger from the Empire.


A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….

THORNS AND FIRE

The shadows of the Sith have fallen upon the galaxy. With the destruction of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the dissolution of the Jedi Order, Palpatine's plot to transform the Republic into the Galactic Empire is complete.

Even as the Emperor continues his campaign against the survivors of Order 66, Darth Sidious secretly fears the existence of a group of creatures his scientists from the labs of NIMH have made attuned to THE FORCE.

In the midst of the Emperor's schemes of retrieving and corrupting the animals, a young field mouse, who has had previous dealings with the experiment, is about to stumble into the chaos and uncover terrible secrets that could tear her family apart…

**Chapter 1**

**Looking Beyond**

_I never thought that this day would come. It has been five years since we have escaped from the terrible cruelty of NIMH and it has been at least a year since we have completed our exodus to Thorn Valley. At last, the Rats of NIMH will know peace and prosperity at last. We have a new source of power for our equipment and technologies thanks to my old mentor, Nicodemus, who helped us uncover our unseen talents in the mystical energy field known as the Force; created by all living things, it surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the universe as one, and gives us abilities few other creatures are blessed with—that was before Jenner had willfully murdered him and I had avenged my old friend by killing the traitor. Although I have passed on several of Nicodemus' teachings to my fellow rats, I feel that I still have much to learn about the Force._

_I miss Nicodemus very much. I strongly admired him as a leader; a great teacher and the father I never had. As much as I miss him, I miss Jonathan Brisby and his widow, Elizabeth Abigail Brisby even more. I know that Jonathan died trying to drug the farmer's cat, Dragon, but I can't shake the feeling that he still alive somewhere trying to find our colony. _

_I can still see Nicodemus sometimes. His body may be gone, but his spirit is always there ready to guide me whenever things go wrong or when I am uncertain what do. I haven't told the rest of the Council about this, but the visions have been coming to me less and less. I'm not sure it's a good sign or not, but I can be sure to see Nicodemus whenever I need him most._

_Justin Wilson. The New Leader of the Rats of NIMH._

Justin finally put the quill and sighed deeply. He turned toward the red amulet, the Courage of the Heart, and picked it up. His chocolate eyes stared deeply into the crystalline structure of the stone and carassed the gold casting that held in place. A slow, but steady stream of memories flowed into his mind beginning with Jonathan's discovery of the item in question.

* * *

Jonathan had been out on patrol around the immediate area of the rosebush when he noticed the shiny red and gold object lying in the mud. He gazed deeply into it just as Justin was doing now. Jonathan had never seen anything as remotely beautiful in his life at all_—_he felt a very powerful connection to it that he couldn't seem to describe. Jonathan heard strange whispers in his head that he had never heard of before or understood what they were saying. Whatever was happening between him and this strange stone, he felt that he should report it to Nicodemus. He didn't notice the inscription on the back until he had returned home to the rosebush.

There, Jonathan showed Nicodemus the powerful amulet he had found earlier. Justin remembered very clearly when he was merely just a guard to Nicodemus when the old rat gasped in surprise and wonderment. Nicodemus' glowing amber eyes widened and his hands trembled from holding the beautiful jewelry.

"Jonathan," Nicodemus whispered to Jonathan. "Do you know what you have just found?"

"Not really," Jonathan admitted. "I can feel a strong connection of the Force through it though. It seems to respond to me in a way I can't fully explain yet."

Nicodemus smiled. "Yes, Jonathan. You can't explain yet because you haven't heard of it yet. That Stone is the 'Courage of the Heart', a quality very rare found in many living beings. Have you looked at its inscription?"

"No, I did know there was one_. _I thought it would be wise to bring it to you first before showing it to anybody else. If Jenner knew about it..."

"You've made a wise decision, Jonathan," Nicodemus sighed in relief. While Jenner held the respectable title of Captain of the Guard, Nicodemus felt a tremor in the Force from him_; _a lust for power and control over the colony, an unmistakable trace of the Dark Side of the Force. "This stone _does_ contain great knowledge of the Force that few can access as it says here."

Nicodemus showed Jonathan the reverse side of the amulet: 'You can unlock any door if only you have the key', it read.

"I believe it has chosen you to wield it because of your strength in the Force, and your nobility at NIMH when we were trapped and could not escape the vents."

Jonathan's eyes widened at the mention of the stone choosing him. "What? What you mean 'it chose me'? You mean this thing can think for itself?"

"The stone is not unlike the Force itself, young Jonathan," Nicodemus laid a paw on his young friend's shoulder. "While it does have its own will, it also can obey your commands as long as they are in tune with the will of the Force as well."

Jonathan's gaze was still as wide as he had learned about his discovery of a Force artifact of untold power. He focused his attention for a moment it, then back to Nicodemus. "What if somewhere to use it for evil? Like a Dark Jedi or a Sith Lord? I'm worried about Jenner and what he could do with that kind of power, even if it doesn't choose him. I felt an immense well of Force energy from it like it was a gateway to some part of the Force that nobody's accessed before."

Nicodemus shuddered at the thought, his frail frame quaking visibly beneath his rather immense navy blue robes. "If what you are saying is true—if Jenner gets a hold of this power—he will be a creature as such the universe has never seen. I'm glad you found it first because for now, we can keep it safe and hidden from Jenner until the time is right."

"And I shall guard it then, too," Justin proclaimed on that day, with an easy-going bravado. "As I shall guard your life and the lives of the other colonists whenever I'm assigned to a guard post. Nobody'll get hurt on my watch."

Jonathan chuckled and Nicodemus smiled at the young rat's overly dramatic bow. "Very well, Justin," Nicodemus said with some confidence in Justin's abilities. "If you insist. But there is only one favor that I ask of you."

"I know, I know. My lips are sealed, Nicodemus. Not only that, since nobody will know anything about this stone, it would be a piece of cake of hiding it and keeping out sight and mind until further notice."

"Perhaps, but that is not what I was going to ask you for," Nicodemus then turned to Jonathan. "And you will be needed in this task as well."

"I would be only too happy to help," Jonathan nodded.

* * *

Weeks after the Stone's discovery, Nicodemus took both rat and mouse under his tutelage in the ways of the Jedi: they had plenty of holobooks, holocrons, and old-fashioned leather-bound and pages-of-paper books to study from. At first, their skills were raw and untested. There was also the matter of keeping Jenner in the dark and it was never an easy challenge for Nicodemus. Nevertheless the two had finally gained some manageable level of control over their newfound powers and learned how to access new ones without giving into the temptation of power.

Over the course of their training in the Jedi arts, Jonathan had met his future wife after rescuing her from the farm cat, Dragon. At first, Jonathan thought it only an honorable act rescuing another living creature from certain doom, but over the course of time, he realized that he was in love with the young she-mouse. He had remembered a Jedi legend about why love was forbidden because attachment would lead to jealously, a great shadow of greed.

Jonathan thought it best to keep it secret just as Justin would for the Stone. However, it did not last as long as he hoped it would. Nicodemus, through a powerful machine that could only be accessed only through the Force, had felt Jonathan's strong emotions for the female; and strangely enough, encouraged Jonathan to allow her to share that empathy. The reason was because of her importance in the future for both of them. The will of the Force, he said, was meant for the two of them to be together for as long as they lived.

Justin was worried though; he feared that Jonathan's love life would not last as long as his own love and would be heartbroken because of it. But Nicodemus reassured him that the Force had a plan for the soon-to-be Mrs. Brisby and how it would extend her life beyond the norm. Ironically, it was Mrs. Brisby who became heartbroken at her husband's untimely end at Dragon's jaws.

* * *

It wasn't until months later, after meeting with the Rats of NIMH and arranging for her house to be moved in exchange for performing a task her husband was assigned to do would the truth of Jonathan Brisby's fate income unveiled. Mrs. Brisby then used the stone to save her four children from drowning in the mud and healed her youngest child, Timothy, from his illness of pneumonia. She had fallen unconscious and it took no small effort to get her back into her house.

Justin waited until she revived. He asked Auntie Shrew to keep the children away from their mother in case she had died, and not to stress them with the knowledge that she was gone too like Jonathan. But Mrs. Brisby hadn't gone. She woke up in a fit screaming in absolute terror. Her small chest heaved up and down, up and down heavily as if she had actually used her physical strength to lift the cement block free; but that was impossible wasn't it?

Sweat matted her fur close to her skin and her eyes were wider than ever before, widened from witnessing something utterly shocking or terrifying. Justin's feelings had told him that she had been through some kind of nightmare or something of the sort like seeing the scenario that her children having died in the mud and there was nothing she could do about it. But as he lowered his head to listen to her, it was anything but what he expected to hear.

"Justin, I want you to have the stone," she said in a quiet tone.

"What?" Justin reeled back as if she was a cat that hissed at him. "Mrs. Brisby, I just want to say 'you're welcome' for bringing you back here, but you want to give me the stone?"

"Yes."

"But why? Jonathan meant it for you."

"He did," Brisby paused. She was unsure what to say next, what to tell Justin. Brisby had seen her husband still alive, somewhere out there waiting to return her. After gathering up her courage, she finally said, "And this is for Jonathan for when he returns."

Justin stared at her in disbelief. She knew that her husband had killed trying to slip by the cat unnoticed, but she was talking like she knew nothing of his death.

"Mrs. Brisby…"

"I thought he was dead too," She explained. "But I saw him Justin. Jonathan was there. He was holding us all tightly, me and my children. We were all there together. If he is still out there," Her voiced cracked slightly, "Please find him. Find him and bring him back."

Justin shook his head, still disbelieving that Jonathan had survived and had lost his way in the world.

"I'm not crazy," Brisby begged. "I know it sounds like it, but it's the truth. I know you'll find him. Trust me."

Justin had barely noticed Mrs. Brisby had placed the stone into his paws and slowly closed his fingers around it. He still stared into her eyes seeking out any deception or madness that lay behind them. All he found was hope and a new sense of enlightenment he hadn't before in his life. Swallowing hard, hoping to find some kind of appeasement from her, he said solemnly, "I'll find him then. Just because you asked."

"You swear you will?" Now Justin knew that Mrs. Brisby was being very serious about it.

"I promise to find Jonathan," he said firmly. "No matter what happens."

* * *

Finding himself back in his office, Justin lowered his head. Although he did look for Jonathan whenever he could, his duties as leader always called him back. No longer was he the rat who played games with his friends and made merriment to those who wished it or not. No longer did he run headlong into a dangerous situation with Jonathan and came out stronger than ever. Justin had become a greater being than he had ever been before and now he felt scared_—_no, ashamed_—_because of a promise that he made to a family member of his best friend and he couldn't keep. Justin's eyes flooded with salty tears and they poured down his snout settling on the cold stone floor below.

"Jonathan," Justin spoke toward the stone as if Jonathan could hear him through it. "I know that your beloved Elizabeth would never lie to another;not even me. But I fear that she may have acted out of delirium and made a great mistake in giving me this stone. I want to do what is right, but I can't abandon what we fought so hard to achieve." The memories of those who had passed away from the earth just so that he and the other rats would disappear from NIMH forever flashed and seared through his mind; Jenner, Sullivan, Nicodemus… Jonathan.

"Oh, Jonathan," Justin sobbed quietly. "If only you really were alive, I'd find you. I would…"

_And you will._ Justin was too grief-stricken to recognize that voice, the voice of his former mentor, Nicodemus, calling from a distance. _Remember Justin, "There is no death, There is the Force." Call upon it and you will see beyond what your own senses can perceive._

At first, Justin thought he was hearing things. That was something Nicodemus would say whenever he would face hard times or when the colony was suffering serious trouble. But as he focused inwardly toward his inner soul he heard something distinctly that certainly not his imagination.

The device that Nicodemus had used to look into the future or into the far reaches of his mind to bring clarity to his visions was coming to life again. The machine had been barely used in over a year since Nicodemus died and Justin thought that he could never use it properly. The machine could only be activated by means of the Force and it required a strong Force-user with the right training and seriousness of the mind in order for it to have the desired outcome.

As soon as Justin heard it whirring, he looked up and turned toward it. The central mechanism spun faster and faster, emitting colorful showers of sparks as it did so. Justin shielded his eyes from the brilliant light show until he could see clearly into it.

He saw something he hoped he'd never see again; it was NIMH.

* * *

Nineteen years before a battle over a gas giant would strike a critical blow to an empire's war machine, months before the deadly Order 66 was issued to wipe out the Jedi, the Galactic Republic had a secret base in the uncharted extragalactic Sol System on its third planet. To us, we would have thought it impossible to travel other galaxies instantly—let alone another star or a planet—and certainly not through time.

The Republic, however, had the technology and resources to travel through time and space. In fact, it was a simple matter of modifying the hyperdrive on their vessels in order for the ship to travel to the certain destination in time, generally forwards in time with some limited capacities of going backwards. As for the issue of space, it could take theoretically months to years to reach the intended galaxy on hyperdrive only, even with the right modifications. Fortunately the Republic had found, and manipulated, wormholes in hyperspace to reduce the travel time to reach another galaxy to a few hours or days.

That was how the Republic Military established their hidden outpost on Earth. They also maintained a restricted section of an American science and medical facility called the National Institute of Mental Health. There they conducted a secret experiment, commissioned by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, to study the effects of the Force on non-sentient creatures. The line of thinking was that if the Force was especially strong in these animals, then it could be conceivable that their sentience would grow exponentially and possibly their lifespans would increase.

But there was a darker side to it; just as the Force had its Dark Side.

Palpatine was fascinated by the experiments of Darth Plagueis and how he manipulated the midichlorians in other lifeforms to achieve a longer lifespan, immortality was no doubt a possibility. Plagueis never had a chance to ever find out; his apprentice murdered him in his sleep and stole all of his research. But his work never ended with his death—it lived on, ironically, with his killer's own approval.

While a small number of Jedi did agree to participate, they would be kept in the dark on Palpatine's true intentions_—_Sidious' intentions actually. Sidious wanted the Jedi only to study its effects on the animals while he would introduce them to the Dark Side. Once he had successfully converted them, he would dispose of the Jedi and use the animals to serve as his spies in the upcoming New Order.

But first, he would need only one to get the rest to turn. And that turned out to be Jenner.

* * *

It all happened on the night of the rats' capture; they were taken to NIMH and then on to the restricted section. Justin buried his face in his paws shortly after being placed into a more permanent cage to hold him for the rest of his days. He was scared half to death_—_every animal here was scared. They had just been robbed from their homes and their families and thrown into a prison. There was no trial, no interrogation, no way to let their friends know what had happened to them, nothing of the sort; they were just put into this wretched place only to rot in here and eventually die.

_O, God. Why am I here? Why did you put me into such a scary place like this? Please! Answer me!_

Justin began wonder what he had done wrong to end up in this cold barren facility when he heard a small, but strong voice shouting, "Hey! What's the big idea here! What's going on here? Why have you taken me here and where in the Devil's name am I?!" Justin jumped at its sudden and booming power. He looked around frantically for source, but there was no one in the cage but him.

_Maybe he's in a separate cage from mine._ He pointed his snout directly into the direction of bars of his cell, cocked his ears up, and listened for it. It didn't take long to find out where it's coming from when he heard it again: it was in a cage to his right.

"Somebody! Anybody! Answer me! Guards! Guards! Who put me in here and why? I demand to know what's…"

"Keep your voice down in there!" Another small voice rang out into the room. This one was shakier and older, but just as strong. "Even they could hear us, they wouldn't listen anyway. They'd either ignore us or beat us up, and you'd best hope for the former."

_Sounds like the other one's been imprisoned once before or something._ Justin wanted to ask the other shouter how he knew of those two possibilities when the first one sighed, "Well, at least I asked… or tried to."

"I sincerely doubt they would even understand what we are trying to say anyway. We'd be like foreigners stuck in another country or something. You'd best save your breath and wait a while."

"Like for how long?"

"Who knows?" The older voice sighed in defeat. "All I know is that it's going to be a while before anybody's going to come in here and give us answers. As I have seen lawyers manage their cases with their selected defendants, it would be some time before they send anybody to check in on us. In the meantime, try to get some sleep. Maybe they'll come in a few minutes, perhaps an hour, perhaps in the middle of the night, but we'll know for sure by morning." With a series of muttering followed by a heavy yawn, the older voice said to the first, "Good night."

"'Night, Mr. Ages," was the younger one's reply.

Justin sighed again. He studied the cold metal floor, covered in yellowing newspaper. How on earth could anybody like… Mr. Ages_, _if that was what his name was_, _could even hope of trying sleep on something like this? He looked outside the cell at the many cage doors that made up the opposite wall. In the middle of the room, he saw some of the strangest thing a rat would ever see. There were computers, monitoring equipment, a stout cylindrical object on two legs with a dome on top and one black eye at the front and top_—_a thing that the guards called an R2 unit, but Justin had no idea what R2 units were—and another cylindrical machine while dozens of arms ending with needles_—_a kind of medical "droid" as the humans would say. This was all jarring and discomforting to Justin; it was a completely alien place that he found himself trapped in and he had no way out of it.

"Hey," Justin jumped as he heard the first voice call out softly from the adjacent cage to Justin. "You okay in there?"

Justin wondered just how the mouse, or rat, figured that he'd be in the cage next to his. Maybe he didn't; he could have just as easily been trying to apologize to whatever lifeform was in the cage next to his, but somehow it didn't make sense.

Did it matter anyway?

Justin responded just as quietly, hoping not to disturb anybody else who was still asleep. "Hey, I thought you were asleep."

"Not yet. I just want to know a few things from you_, _whoever you are_, _before I get some shut-eye."

"Sorry," said Justin apologetically. "I'm afraid I'm in the dark just like you. Literally too."

The voice chuckled. "I gotcha. But I'm good at figuring things out, quickly or slowly. Anything that you saw or heard of will be of great help."

"Well," Justin began. "At the front desk, I heard the receptionist call for somebody from the "restricted area" to come and receive its subjects. I'm not sure if she meant prison subjects or something else, but I had a feeling that I had done something wrong because being restricted means you can't do something, or you've done something wrong and you can't be with others, so that's what I want to know: what have I done wrong to be locked up?"

"You sound like haven't done anything wrong and trust me, I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yeah," The figure nodded on the other side of the wall. "So, what happened next?"

"These guys in white came by and picked up my cage. I tried to stand up straight, but I couldn't 'cause the damn cage kept shaking around and I kept falling down hard."

Both mouse and rat chuckled at the thought before Justin cleared his throat and continued. "So the guy and I, we come up to this door and there's these two guards. They were in white too with some black at the joints. The white parts looked like some kind of armor, but I'm not sure. Their eyes were triangular and black connected to a black 'T' in the middle of their faces which led down into a frown. They had a some kind of crest on the tops of their heads and they carried some kind of a huge, black stick in their paws_—_or their hands as they say.

"Anyway, they ask for something called 'I.D.' and the guy gives it to them. They look it, hand it back and say 'Move along'. Guy goes through the doors and he says 'Bossy clone troopers. What ever happened to the days where you'd have a nice chat with the guards before you 'moved along' 'Move along,' my arse,'"

"Hmm," The voice pondered, scratched his chin with his paw. "So the guards are actually 'clone troopers', but I don't have anything else to go on."

"I don't know about you, but there was something strange about these 'clone troopers'."

"What do you mean?"

"I got a good sniff of them before I went through," Justin explained "They smelled almost exactly the same. And looked the same too."

"How so?"

"As we kept moving along, there were more and more of them. There were a few different ones based on their markings, but they all really smelled the same."

Although Justin couldn't see beyond the cage walls, he could pick up the confusion in the creature's inquiry.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Are you saying there were only some of these clones who looked different?"

"Only on the outside," Justin said. "As far as I know. There's just that one smell to them that nobody else has and it's virtually identical. I also smelled a few clones who were in gray, but I could see their faces. They were wearing some kind of cap and they looked an awful like the humans that captured us, but these faces were complete copies of one another."

Justin waited a moment before Jonathan voiced his theory on the clones. "If I'm right, then a 'clone' is a exact replica of a living thing; looks the same, smells the same, and I'll be darned if they don't sound the same."

"And you're not, Jon," Justin agreed. "But that still doesn't answer what they want with us or why."

"If you two are finished down there," Mr. Ages yawned impatiently. "Could you at least try to go to sleep?"

Justin was surprised to hear that voice that he wondered how it was that Mr. Ages had a sensitivity to the low amplitudes of their conversations. Perhaps he might shed some more light on their situation if he asked, but based on the tone in his voice, it would be best not to at this hour.

"Sorry to disturb your, um, friend," said Justin, partially apologetic but a little playfulness was hinted.

"Aw, don't worry about it," Jonathan smiled again. "He'll be better in the morning. I guess you'd better get some sleep too… ah, wait."

"What?"

"I didn't get your name."

"Oh. Well then, I'm Justin. I don't suppose I could ask for yours"

Jonathan laughed. This mouse—or rat, whoever he was—had a gift to warm up others and bring laughter to the heart. "Oh, very well," he said in mock defeat. "Jonathan Brisby. Well, g'night."

Justin's spirits rose a little that night. He had two companions now, even if one of them wouldn't like it, and he'd try to make as many of them as he could in this prison. The more alliances, the more connections, the better; he'd have a better chance of escape together with others than he would alone.

But first things first. Looking at the newspaper, he decided to wrap himself in it not exactly as a blanket, but more like a burrito to soften his back on the floor and to keep him warm too. Slowly breathing in and out in a controlled regular pattern he let his eyelids get heavier and heavier until it was almost impossible to open them even if he wanted. At least it would be one form of peace he could find here; let the evening take over and rest peacefully in its dark protective cloak.

* * *

Justin's vision did not end with his first night at NIMH and his disclosure of what he knew to Jonathan. His vision was still within the room, but it was no longer within the cage. Justin saw the sealed hatchway illuminated by the red lights in the lab. The shadows cast on the door reminded him of some foul creature, one he knew nothing of nor did he wish to. He heard nothing but the steady hum and whine of the electronic equipment and the few rats and mice squeaking and muttering to each other about what was going on here. But Justin's focus now turned to what lay beyond the door; he could not see beyond it, but he knew that someone was there and he wanted to get in.

"Supreme Chancellor!" One of the clones yelped in surprise. "What you are doing here?"

Shortly after the trooper had spoken, an old voice answered. "There are matters that do not concern you, soldier. I'm only here to inspect the new arrivals. Now let me pass."

A moment of silence followed. Then the other trooper said, "Sir, the animals have not yet been tested yet. I'm afraid…"

"Yes, I know," the old man interrupted. "Now please, let me through. I wish to inspect them and see what they are now before any testing is to be commenced."

The door rose like the upper jaw of a predator ready to receive its meal that was the Chancellor. He wore a long blue robe bearing unusual patterns all over. The man's hair was slowly receding, no longer the rusty red it once was, but now was a silvery-gray. His face was lined with wrinkles of time and cunning, his nose crooked downward like a hawk's. But the man's most distinguishing feature, though, were his eyes. They were an aqua blue that mirrored that of his homeworld of Naboo. They were the eyes that had seen years of politics and their influence on the galaxy.

They were also the eyes of a Sith Lord, the most dangerous and soon to be most powerful in the galaxy–they only betrayed his allegiance to the Dark Side by turning a sickly yellow–red when he embraced in full and called upon the negative emotions of fear, anger, and hatred whenever he needed them.

The Chancellor stepped inside and the door sealed behind him with a clang and hiss.

Now the Chancellor was completely alone in the room—save for the FX-9 medical and analysis droid and the R2 unit with its diagnostic lights off. And of course, he reminded himself, the vermin that the Republic scientists had captured that night. He had many plans for them in the future, plans that would strike fear into the hearts of dissendents and rebels.

Now all he needed was the right subject to use and enlighten its mind to the Force and its truly limitless power. Once the subject was turned, then it would show the others what the true power of the Dark Side was really about. The Chancellor scanned the cages for the perfect subject, listening the doubts and worries of the mice, feeding off their shame and rage they had for this place, reinforcing the rats' beliefs that someone had betrayed them and left them to die. It took less than a minute to find the right rat.

Jenner couldn't sleep; no matter what he did, it was futile. He remembered the bright lights of the vans nearly blinding him, the strong nets that entangled him and the others, the near soulless presence the clones seemed to emit underneath that armor, and the neat rows and sections of cages stacked on top of each other like a prison cell block. Like the other animals here, he had no knowledge or understanding what the humans wanted with him. Jenner feared that he would surely die because of the amount of bread he had illegally procured from the humans when they weren't looking. Maybe they were angry at him for defacing their property or maybe…

"Hello there."

Jenner squeaked and spun around to see an old man standing in front his cage peering in. He did not appear as frightening or unfriendly like the guards and scientists; in fact, he seemed regal and benign as if he might pardon him of whatever charges were placed against him.

"Shhh," the man hushed in a quiet tone and Jenner instantly obeyed. What the man said next did not even pass lips once.

_I know what's been troubling you and I wish to help._

Jenner gasped, nearly dumbfounded by what had just happened. The man had spoken to him without opening his mouth and he heard him as clear as daylight. _How he'd do that? And how did he know that I was in trouble?_

_Patience, my friend,_ the man replied telepathically. _In time, you will understand._

_You knew what I was thinking?_ Jenner's mouth gaped wide open.

_Of course I did. And I am capable of so much more._

_Like what?_ Jenner was concerned about getting out now—not yet, at least—he wanted to know what this human was capable of.

_I can perform a great deal of miracles, young Jenner. Yes, I know your name as I know what peril you are in._

Jenner ran up to the bars to get a better look at that face and maybe hear whatever horrible fate he could be saved from. _Tell me, then, what perils await me. And please explain why you are speaking to me this way._

_Ah, yes. The thoughts you hear from me are a form of communication that very few beings, like myself, are capable of; it is called telepathy. It is useful because nobody can hear what we are saying to each other and the surveillance systems will not be able to pick up it._

_I see what you're saying, I think. You have a plan to free me then._

The man gave a small chuckle that vibrated the rat's very foundations of his soul making him step back a bit.

_ I won't free you, but I can provide you with the way out._

_I don't understand,_ Jenner shook his head. _What do you mean?_

The man smiled. He had the rat where he wanted him. _There is something I will impart to you on your journey towards true freedom. You can unlock any door if only you have the key, but first, you must know what that key is and which door to unlock. Fortunately, the Dark Side of the Force will unlock every door you will come across._

_The Dark Side of the Force? Just what is this "Force" and what is the "Dark Side"._

_ The Force is what gives me the gifts that I possess; speaking telepathically, moving objects without touching them, seeing into the future. _He paused for a moment letting the words settle in the rat's small, but intelligent brain._ Even the power to manipulate events to one's own needs or desires like yourself._

_Well the only thing I desire is to leave this place and never return._

The Chancellor nodded in agreement. _Of course you do. You don't want anything to do with this place ever again. _Now he played his trump card._ But none of these animals want to either. Would you wish to abandon them to their fates?_

Jenner's heart skipped a beat when the man had mentioned that; leaving the other mice and rats behind somehow no longer appealed to him.

_They share a common goal as you do,_ the old man reasoned._ You wish to leave and return home, and so do they. Now here is what you must do._

Jenner listened carefully to the old man's thoughts as he told them that by morning, he and the others will receive injections to give them some insight into the Force. The Chancellor would then provide Jenner more knowledge of the Force and how to wield it.

Once they had fully acclimated to the Force, then Jenner must rally the animals together and have them swear their allegiance to the Chancellor. If only Jenner could them to see what the Dark Side was through Sidious_'_ teachings and showed him that they were ready and willing, then they would truly be free.

_Of course there will be ideas within the Dark Side you may not agree with at first, but you will come to understand why in time._

Jenner replied telepathically one last time. _I understand, and I will comply to your teachings. But first, may I have the honor of knowing of whom I serve?_

_Officially I am Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, but in truth, I am Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. Henceforth you shall address me as that; Darth Sidious, or Lord Sidious, or "my Master"._

Jenner bowed his head in respect to his new teacher. _Yes, my Master._

* * *

As the machine finally winded down from the lengthy and powerful vision, Justin stumbled back into his seat, drained from the entire experience. He breathed in deep slow intervals. When he finally had the strength to stand up again, the effort to do so was immense_—_bigger than what he had expected it to be. Now Justin was beginning to understand why Jenner had gone bad and who commissioned the Force experiments. Why they were chosen still eluded him. What he learned from Nicodemus was to not to become entangled in the Dark Side's snare along with Jonathan, but it became clear how they and Jenner did not share his own fate. Jenner was as afraid as everyone else, but unlike Jonathan, Justin, Mr. Ages, Nicodemus, and the others, he had no peers to comfort him or to interact with him. Perhaps it was why Darth Sidious had managed to corrupt the rat so easily. But why Jenner wanted to stay in the rosebush instead of traveling to Thorn Valley Justin didn't know.

But he knew someone who would.

When he turned to look over his right shoulder, he wasn't disappointed to see his old master, Nicodemus, as a shimmering ghostly image of himself in life. It was almost perfectly like him. But Justin had noticed long ago when Nicodemus had first appeared to him as a vision that he no longer bore the extravagent robes as Leader of the Rats of NIMH. Instead, they consisted little more than a brown hooded cloak and a cream colored tunic, the garb of a Jedi Master. The other major difference Justin made out was his eyes. They no longer glowed the fiery amber that they had after the injections, but still had their clarity and wisdom accumulated over the years the rat had lived through before his untimely end. In fact, the eyes looked rather almost guilty for not telling Justin a crucial secret that might save or destroy the colony forever.

"Justin," the spirit spoke in a gentle echo of his former living voice. "I had to show what had happened to Jenner and his fall to the Dark Side. There is great danger in your future and I need to you to be prepared for it."

Justin stared emptily into his mentor's gaze. "Be prepared for what? I don't understand. The locals? Humans? A storm?"

"This is not a danger from nature's forces, Justin. Jenner may not have gained the amulet, but he is still just as powerful and as deadly as before. He will gather an army against you and the colony backed by the Empire in an effort to weaken it and capture it or annihilate completely."

Justin was stunned. Jenner was alive?

But how? Jenner was killed on the night of his master's death, first wounded by him, then stabbed in the back by a well placed aim by Sullivan before the latter died from his accomplice's strike.

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many terrifying and evil abilities sought out by those who have a lust for power," Nicodemus continued ominously. "Abilities in the Force that considered, but by a few, to be completely unnatural. Jenner may have lost his dark influence on the rats, but it only serves to fuel his anger and rage against you, Justin."

"But how is that possible?" Jonathan, Justin now believed could very much be alive, but he doubted on Jenner's own survival. "I killed him myself. And Sullivan, he finished him off."

"Poor Sullivan," Nicodemus lowered his head in sorrow. The poor rat wanted nothing to do with Jenner's plots of politics and total control. All Sullivan wanted was leave the Empire behind forever. "But he has fulfilled his destiny by saving your life as I had foreseen."

"Sullivan didn't want any blood on his hands," Justin reasoned. "But after what Jenner did, he had no choice but kill him."

"No, Justin," Nicodemus' voice had taken on a form of ragged insistence. "Sullivan had only delayed the inevitable; Jenner is still out there waiting to take revenge because what you did. You have broken the hold of the Sith over our people and though he is not dead, the wounds inflicted on him were more than of flesh. You must keep your mind sharp in the coming battles that lie ahead."

This was almost too much for poor Justin. The rats had a security force, but it would be no match against a battle-hardened army, much less the Dark Side of the Force. And if they were to fight, where would they get the reinforcements? Surely not the local wildlife, they turn down enlistment in the rats' forces on sight.

"Nicodemus," Justin said almost sadly. "If the Empire is coming, then we stand no chance. They'll pulverize us once they know where Thorn Valley is and capture those they don't kill off immediately. I doubt the humans on Earth could do anything about it. So unless they never find us, we're on our own."

Justin slumped back in his chair and put a paw to his face in despair. But Nicodemus would not let one of his students give up that easily yet.

"There is still hope yet, my friend," Nicodemus reassured him, placing his wispy paw on his shoulders. "Somewhere, out there, there are those who hate the Empire as bad as we do. And for some, even more so. They will prove to be great and worthy allies to our cause."

"So how will I know?" Justin wanted to forge the deal with these strangers and keep the colony from falling in the hands of an almost unstoppable evil.

"The Force will reveal your new allies in time," Nicodemus smiled. He had seen things that he never thought were possible and soon Justin would too. "But first, you must know who they are and what they want. The answers will come in time, but through the Force, you will see and understand the names and motives for the future rebel alliance."

Nicodemus pulled back and his image began to dissipate.

"No! Wait! Hold on!" Justin dashed as hard as could, but Nicodemus was gone.

"Look inward, my young student!" Nicodemus called out from the void. "Look, and you will see! Through the Force, you will see our future, the past, old friends long gone who aren't really gone, and you know who your allies are!"

Justin's head whirled in a tornado of confusion; Jenner was alive, an army was being raised against the rats, his old friends had were long gone weren't still alive somewhere out there.

Justin thought it best to meditate on the matter first—on Jenner's case and Nicodemus'—before he would report to the Council about how he accessed the machine's power and his vision of Sidious.

He found an old and dirty, but very comfortable cushion and placed it in the middle of the floor. Nicodemus, from what he remembered, sometimes mediated on a cushion like the one he had just put down when a serious matter was at hand or there was a troubling thought to his mind he needed to solve. Justin took his seat on the cushion, closed his eyes, and felt the weightlessness of the Force encompass him as he began to gather his thoughts and tried to make sense of them.


End file.
